Today's Beautiful Gem: `God and the Soul'
by Mechtild of Magdeburg (13th century), translated by Oliver Davies.

God Speaks to the Soul:
"And God said to the soul:
I desired you before the world began.
I desire you now as you desire me.
And where the desires of two come together
The love is perfected."

How the Soul Speaks to the God:
"Lord, you are my lover, my longing,
My flowing stream, my sun,
And I am your reflection."

How God Answers the Soul:
"It is my nature that makes me love you often,
For I am love itself.
It is my longing that makes me love you intensely,
For I yearn to be loved from the heart.
It is my eternity that makes me love you long,
For I have no end."

Note: According to Jane Hirshfield, "in Mechtild's poetry, as in
that of many other women from many different traditions, we find
the encounter between self and Self depicted as a relationship
of lovers. Exuberance too is part of the mystic's path, and
throughout Mechtild's work we find an energy and vigour that
reflect the dynamic nature of her spiritual realisation."

om s'aantih: Peace! - J. K. Mohana Rao

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